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Minestrone is the original clean-out-the-fridge soup. This version is packed with vegetables, beans and small pasta in a tomato broth, and it’s hearty enough to be dinner on its own.

It’s also about as inexpensive as a filling dinner gets. Canned beans, canned tomatoes, a handful of pasta and whatever vegetables you have will feed six people, with leftovers for lunch.

Everything simmers together in one large pot or Dutch oven, pasta included.

Serve it with grated Parmesan and soft dinner rolls. For a pasta-free vegetable soup, try our Easy Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients and Swaps

Vegetables: Onion, carrots, celery and zucchini. Potato, green beans, cabbage or frozen mixed vegetables all work.
Beans: Cannellini or kidney beans.
Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
Pasta: Small shapes like ditalini, elbows or shells.
Greens: Spinach or kale, stirred in at the end.

Tips for Minestrone

Soften the vegetables first. Six to eight minutes in olive oil builds the flavor of the broth.
Cook the tomato paste. A minute in the pot takes away its raw edge.
Add the pasta near the end. It needs only 8–10 minutes and keeps swelling afterward.
Use a Parmesan rind. If you have one, simmer it in the soup and remove it before serving.
Season at the end. Broth and canned beans vary in salt.

Prices are from Walmart’s and ALDI’s websites for stores in Columbus, Ohio, checked in October 2026. Ohio’s grocery prices are within about 1% of the national average, so you may pay more or less depending on where you live, and prices change often. Here’s how we price our recipes.

Cost: Ingredients – $7.66 from Walmart, $7.17 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.20 to $1.28

Bowl of minestrone soup with vegetables, white beans and small pasta topped with Parmesan

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Budget Minestrone Soup

A hearty one-pot Italian soup with vegetables, white beans and small pasta in a tomato broth, made mostly from pantry staples.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium zucchini diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) cannellini or kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf optional
1 cup small pasta ditalini, elbows or small shells
2 cups chopped spinach or kale
Salt and black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan for serving

Method

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 6–8 minutes, until softened.
Stir in the garlic, zucchini, tomato paste and Italian seasoning and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, broth, beans and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the pasta and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until tender.
Stir in the spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes, until wilted. Remove the bay leaf.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated Parmesan.

Notes

Use what you have. Diced potato, green beans, cabbage or a cup of frozen mixed vegetables all work.
If you have a Parmesan rind, simmer it in the broth and take it out before serving. It adds a lot of flavor.
Rinse fresh spinach or kale well and dry it before chopping.
Skip the Parmesan and use vegetable broth to make it vegan.

Storage & Freezing Tips

Refrigerate for up to 4 days. The pasta soaks up broth as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when reheating.
Planning on leftovers? Cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl so it doesn’t go soft.
Freeze without the pasta for up to 3 months. Add freshly cooked pasta when you reheat it.
Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.